Virginia Emershaw

Beloved schoolteacher Virginia "Ginger" Emershaw (née Donlin) passed peacefully in her Akron, Ohio home Saturday, April 19. She was 84.

The woman hundreds of Akron and Cuyahoga Falls children knew as Mrs. Emershaw was born in Kingston, Penn., in 1940, to Virginia (née McGahren) and William J. Donlin. She graduated with a degree in education from Misericordia College, and married her college sweetheart George J. Emershaw, III, in 1962.

When George's employer moved George and Ginger to Akron not long after they were married, Ginger began teaching for the Akron Public Schools. George went on to become a successful attorney in Akron, and Ginger later became a first-grade teacher for Cuyahoga Falls City Schools. The couple contributed their time and treasure to many Akron community activities, most recently in Akron Cooperative Farms.

The couple had no children of their own, but Ginger treasured all her students, and told fond stories of them long after she retired.

For many years after she retired from teaching, Ginger stayed active as a volunteer and tour guide at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. She enjoyed participating in book clubs, walking in Silver Sneakers, and observing the flora and fauna of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. She was also a member of the Akron Woman's City Club.

While Ginger made Akron her home, she never forgot her Pennsylvania roots. She endowed a scholarship for early education students at her Alma mater, Misericordia University in Dallas, Penn., and was a major contributor to the renovation of a dormitory building at George's Alma mater, King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.

Her family in Pennsylvania had been prominent members of their community. Her father, William, was a musician and music teacher, and her maternal grandfather, John McGahren, Esquire served as District Attorney in Luzerne County, Penn.

Beyond Ginger's decades in education, caring for her family and volunteer work, we celebrate her nurturing and loving spirit. She was intentional in giving so much to those around her, her students, her nieces and nephews and all those in her life. During her life and after her passing she is and will remain a faithful and loving presence in the lives of everyone she has touched. Ginger will remain an inspiration, living on through her influence with those who were blessed to have her in their lives.

Ginger's parents preceded her in death, as has her beloved George, Ginger's siblings, Mary Elizabeth Gavenas (née Donlin), William J. Donlin, Jr., Patricia Arbour (née Donlin), in-laws George "Kirby" Emershaw, Jr., and Eleanor Emershaw, and nephews Patrick Corgan, William T. Donlin III, John Arbour and James Arbour. Her survivors include sister-in-law Eleanor Corgan of Wyoming, Penn.; nieces and nephews Mary Lisa Gavenas of New York, Elizabeth Donlin of Verona, New Jersey, Richard and Kathleen Arbour of Philadelphia, Penn., and William and Jacquenette Corgan, of Akron, Ohio; longtime treasured friends Jennifer Doerrer of Uniontown, Ohio, and Christine Bedell of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, who took care of Ginger in her final years; and many grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Vincent Catholic Church, 164 W Market St, Akron, OH 44303 on Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 11:00am, calling hours will take place on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 from 4:30 - 7:00pm at Hummel Funeral Home & Crematories, 500 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44304.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church in Akron, Ohio; Haven of Rest Ministries of Akron, Ohio; Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens of Akron, Ohio; or the Akron Food Bank.